OpenAI and American Psychological Association Partner on Youth Mental Health and AI

OpenAI and the American Psychological Association (APA) have partnered to integrate psychological science and clinical expertise into the development of responsible AI for young people. This collaboration aims to ensure that AI design and safeguards are grounded in evidence-based behavioral science to protect and promote the well-being of youth, families, and clinicians.

Integration of Psychological Science in AI Development

OpenAI is collaborating with the APA to ensure that the design of AI systems is developmentally appropriate and safe for young users. The partnership focuses on bringing developmental science and clinical expertise to the system builders to ensure that AI strengthens rather than replaces the real-world relationships and care that young people rely on.

Key Areas of Focus

The partnership will address several critical domains to improve the AI experience for youth:

• Support in Moments of Distress: Exploring how AI can responsibly assist young people during periods of distress and help them connect to real-world support.
• Developmental Appropriateness: Designing AI to be more useful and developmentally appropriate for different youth age groups.
• Guidance for Caregivers: Equipping parents and caregivers with the tools and knowledge to guide healthy AI usage at home.
• System Gap Analysis: Convening teens, families, and clinicians to understand how AI is currently being used in schools, therapy, and family settings to identify where current support systems are failing and where AI can responsibly assist with access and education.

Resources for Parents, Caregivers, and Practitioners

OpenAI and the APA plan to develop practical, accessible resources for the following groups:

• Parents and Caregivers: Family-facing tools to help adults support healthy AI use, recognize when adult intervention is necessary, and reinforce that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human care.
• Clinicians and School Psychologists: Resources focused on promoting healthy AI usage, recognizing signs of overreliance on AI, and intervening in unhealthy use patterns.

Existing Safety Frameworks and Safeguards

This partnership builds upon OpenAI's existing safety infrastructure for younger users and sensitive interactions:

• Mental Health Expert Collaboration: OpenAI works with over 260 mental health experts to improve ChatGPT's ability to recognize signs of distress and guide users toward real-world support.
• Crisis Resources: The system includes expanded access to localized crisis resources and one-click hotlines.
• ** keluarga-centric Controls:** Implementation of parental controls, notifications to parents regarding safety concerns, and reminders for users to take breaks.
• Technical Safeguards: The inclusion of under-18 principles in the Model Spec and the use of an age prediction model to apply appropriate safeguards and experiences based on the user's age.